No Regrets
by T. Costa
Summary: A year after Meteor, Yuffie is travelling back to Wutai, and stops for a while in Rocket Town CidYuffie, kind of on request.
1. Chapter 1

_Oh my Gawd..._  
_I **hate** this fucking airship._  
I grimly clutched at my stomach and willed it to calm down. Didn't work. I'd never been really good at the whole centering your chi crap they teach you in Wutai.  
I inched towards the conference room. Cloud was having some kind of meeting and he wanted everyone--_everyone_--there. I groaned and gave up, flopping to the ground and crawling towards the door. Cid could have been nice and parked the fucking Highwind for this meeting.  
Cloud was ranting about one of the WEAPONs and how we had had HAD to go destroy it. Count me out, if we have to stay on the Highwind to fight it.  
"You okay, kid?" A smoke-roughened voice said as I walked out of the meeting, doubled over. I looked into the eyes of one Cid Highwind, a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed pilot who probably hated my guts.  
It had been so hard to get back in with the group after I stole their materia (I mean, really...I gave it back!) and Barret, Cid's partner-in-crime, was pretty vocal about his distrust. Cid didn't say anything, but I got the feeling he didn't trust me, either.  
"Just..airsick." I grumbled. An indignant look crossed his face.  
"I fly this thing.."  
I snorted. "It doesn't matter how well you fly this monster. I get airsick!" My stomach rumbled ominously and I ran to the back deck to relieve myself of it's contents. 

Cloud gave us a day to find out why we were fighting. I knew why I was fighting: because Sephiroth was a jerk! It's not fair to everyone else on the planet for him to get what he wanted; we had a right to life too. If there was one thing my mom taught me when I was growing up is that you gotta stand up for what's right. So I went surfing off the coast of Kalm. Hey, I was bored, and I get seasick, but not on a board!  
Oh, that was _bad_. I think I get the bad joke gene from my dad.  
Anyway, I was sitting up in the engine room of the Highwind, waiting for everyone else to show up, when I heard something downstairs. I crept down and saw that everyone else was there! Awsome!  
"All we're missing is Yuffie." Cloud said.  
"She ain't gonna show up!" Barret stated, loudly. Cid frowned and looked about to say something.  
I jumped down. "HEY!" I said. "I worked my butt off to get back here and you go around saying stuff like that?" I stuck my tongue at him. "If I didn't know better I'd think you didn't want me around!" 

Midgar was ruined.  
Totally ruined.  
I couldn't help but think of all of the people who might have been caught in the blast from Meteor. I didn't even succomb to airsickness like I usually do. My eyes teared up and I turned away from it all.  
Cid was standing behind me, a horror-struck look on his face. Beside him was Barret, and behind them Cloud and Tifa. Everyone looked completely horrified.  
Meteor was gone. And so was Midgar.  
"All those people..." Tifa said.  
I turned back; looking at the destruction was much, much better than looking at the sadness and terror on the faces of my comrads in arms.  
A figure ran out of the rubble and waved it's arms. I squinted; the figure almost looked joyous.  
"It's Reeve!" I exclaimed, happily, pointing. Cait Sith, the robot cat/mog that Reeve controlled, had been destroyed during the Lifestream incident, and we didn't know if he'd made it out of Midgar alive. "Reeve's alive!"  
We landed. Reeve was happy because a great number of people had survived Meteor's incursion, and they were all supporting each other and surviving as well as they could. Small hearth-fires were burning underneath the wreakage of the city; children ran around, playing with each other, and avoiding their mothers.  
Reeve was also happy because he hadn't known if we'd made it, either. We were one big happy family again. 

A year had passed. I hadn't seen any of the people from AVALANCHE in most of that year; oh, I ran into Tifa once at Kalm. She and Cloud had a place there. She was running the bar. It had been abandoned in the rush away from Meteor, and she took it over. She had also taken in some of the orphans from Midgar, since she was apparently unable to bear children.  
I was travelling home. I had some materia; my Leviathan materia, which Cloud insisted was mine to keep. Also, the new materia Cloud had given to me; all the stuff with little to no AP, which was created when you fully levelled up any other materia. In my travels across the continents I'd found some other materia, and I was leveling it up, but it was so boring to me, and I knew Godo would be disappointed.  
Some's better than none.  
I stumbled out of the Nibel mountains, exhausted. I'd leveled up most of my materia fighting the monsters that existed there; they weren't overly difficult to beat, it was just that there were _so many_ of them...  
A town glimmered in the distance. Rocket Town. I could still see the old launching pad.  
Rocket Town had food, and an inn.  
I heaved myself up and determinedly, exhaustedly, marched towards it. 

After a decent meal, and a good night's sleep, I felt loads better. I ate another meal, a really decent meal, then checked out of the inn and started out; I figured I might as well head into the field and try to level up my materia some more. Wutai was just a boat ride away and if this stuff wasn't in pretty good shape, my dad'd be kinda pissed.  
I picked my way through the wreckage of the old launch pad; not sure why I went that way, it just seemed to me that the real hard monsters lay to the north. To the south was Cosmo Canyon, which was hard, but a difficult day's travel, and whenever I come to a town I like to stay near. Civilization is nice, ya know?  
"Yuffie?" I recognized that voice; Cid Highwind, pilot extraordinaire, was laying underneath the Tiny Bronco, our old water plane, patiently trying to fix it.  
"Yo, Cid." I waved cheerfully, ignoring the wrench I felt at seeing him. I felt that way whenever I saw a person from AVALANCHE. As much as I'd like to say it, I was never a real member of AVALANCHE. No one ever really accepted me and whenever some of them got together in a bar I was never invited.  
Then again, I am underage, but still.  
Cid sat up real fast and clanked his head on the underbelly of the Bronco. I giggled; a stream of invectives and swear words flowed around me. Finally Cid stood up and shook his head, walking towards me.  
"You been alright, kid?" He asked, lighting his ever-present cigarette. "Reeve said he saw ya in Gongaga almost six months ago, and no one's heard from you since. We been kinda worried."  
Aw, they worried about me. That was kinda nice to know.  
"I'm fine." I said. "I've been leveling up my materia. Dad's gonna want it when I get back."  
Cid raised his eyebrow, but just took a puff off his cigarette.  
"Where's Shera?" I asked. A dark look passed over Cid's face, but he just shrugged.  
"Dunno. She's been gone since I got back. See her, lemme know."  
I nodded, slowly. "Well, I'm off to do more levelling up. Bye, Cid." I started off.  
"Hey, kid." I turned back towards him, an expectant look on my face.  
"Vincent's gonna be in tonight; we're getting together for a drink. You should come."  
"I'm only seventeen." I blurted out. Cid laughed.  
"Never stopped me when I was your age." With that, he turned back to the Bronco and climbed back underneath it.  
I smiled; I'd been invited to an AVALANCHE get-together. Nevermind that it was the old guy and the vampire guy; they were still AVALANCHE and they wanted me around.  
A warm feeling was surrounding me, but I resolutely pushed it aside. I was going to fight; I couldn't be getting all tender-hearted. 

That night I wandered back into Rocket Town tired, but with a feeling of accomplishment. I'd gotten a lot of AP in today, and if I was lucky, I'd even have some mastered materia before I got back to Wutai.  
I decided to get another room at the inn and set my stuff down on the bed. Then I looked at myself and grimaced.  
I was covered--absolutely covered--in blood and monster slime. A few spots of Nibel wolf fur stood out on my shirt. I wanted to puke.  
At least I had a change of clothes in my bag.  
I washed my clothes and took a shower, then slipped into my clean clothes gratefully. They weren't my usual fighting gear, which is made to be easy to move in; this was a regular pair of blue jeans and a babydoll T-shirt, in red. I brushed my hair out, deciding to leave it down for the time being, and sat down for a few minutes, relaxing a bit from the day.  
I wondered if Cid had wanted me to go to the bar, or meet them at his place. I still remember the house he lived in when Shera was around; did he still live there? I left the room, locking it securely, and went over to the bar.  
Peeking in, I could see no sign of Cid or Vincent in the tavern. I ducked back out and headed towards his house. The Bronco was now behind it, so I figured he still lived there.  
Tentatively, I knocked on the door. Cid answered.  
"Hey, kid." He said, stepping away from the door so I could enter. Vincent and someone else sat on the sofa.  
It was Reeve.  
"Reeve!" I exclaimed, happily. I liked Reeve; he was the decent sort.  
"Hi, Yuffie." He said, also happy. Unlike the others, he wasn't predisposed towards me just because of the materia theft; apparently he was from Wutai and understood why I stole it.  
"Hi, Vincent." I said. The solomn man nodded solomnly. He hadn't changed one bit in a year; Reeve, however, was dressed in black jeans and a white T-shirt, and looked normal, which was really weird on him.  
Cid was minus his jacket, but looked pretty normal. "Some more people are on their way in, should be here in a minute." He said, taking a drag on his cigarette.  
I sat on the couch, Reeve between Vincent and I, and awkwardly made idle chat. Reeve was more talkative than the other two, and we talked of Wutai and the state of the world at the moment. Cid and Vincent just listened.  
"Did you know they put a casino in Wutai City?" Reeve said, incredulously. "It's helped the economy a lot, but it looks really cheesy. I guess one of Corneo's guys got the idea."  
"Oh, man, that's awful." I wrinkled my nose.  
"Yeah. But I guess Wutai's making a lot of money now." Reeve sighed. "I went there a few months ago, the casino's really flashy."  
"Great." I muttered.  
"Casino, eh?" Cid said. "Bet Barret'd like to go play some cards there with me sometime. He's in Corel or something."  
I didn't say anything.  
A knock sounded at the door. Cid stood up and went to go get it.  
Tifa walked in. There were two people behind her, people I was stunned to see. I jumped up.  
"Calm down, ninja." A cool voice greeted me. "Shinra doesn't exist anymore."  
Reno and Rude, the two Turks. I ground my teeth and sat, stiffly.  
Tifa laughed outright. "It's alright, Yuffie, they work at my bar now."  
An image of Reno in a bar wench outfit crossed my mind, and I laughed outrageously. Rude snorted as if he could hear my thoughts.  
"He didn't wanna come, huh?" Cid asked.  
Tifa shrugged. "You know how moody Cloud is lately." She said. "He may show up, he may not. I told him about it, that's all."  
She seemed aloof and uncaring, but I got the feeling it really bothered her.  
"Well, looks like that's about it." Cid said, smiling. He started towards the door. "Everyone ready?" 


	2. Chapter 2

I was sitting at a corner table with Tifa. A half-finished beer sat in front of me; the bartender didn't even card me, but I think Cid mighta said something to him before I ordered it.  
"How have you been, Yuffie?" Tifa asked. Her eyes were kind, and I smiled.  
"Alright. I'm levelling up the materia Cloud gave me." At Cloud's name, her eyes darkened, but I just continued on, ignoring it. "Dad wanted me to steal your guys' materia but...ya know, it didn't work out so well the _first_ time..." I let out a short laugh.  
Tifa snorted. "At least you'll have something to show for your troubles." She smiled again. "I heard about the new casino that opened in Wutai..."  
I frowned. "I just found out about that tonight. It stinks! Wutai's just a cheesy resort town now. Nothing like what it used to be..." I trailed off.  
Tifa's gaze was disconcerting, so I let my eyes drift over to the bar. Reeve, Reno, Vincent, and Rude were sitting there. Reno seemed pretty well on his way to getting drunk, which seemed a little immature to me. Rude and Vincent were equally silent, sipping on whatever it was they were drinking slowly. Reeve was talking to the guy behind the bar and Vincent, drinking steadily but not drunkenly. There was no sign of Cid.  
"How's Cloud doing?" I blurted out. I felt bad for it immediately; Tifa obviously wasn't expecting that question and for an instant, her true feelings showed on her face. Then she composed herself and answered with only a hint of a waver in her voice.  
"He seems to be doing alright." She said, picking her words carefully. "He gets sick sometimes, but everyone in Kalm does..." She was quiet for a moment. "I think he misses Aeris."  
"Who doesn't?" I asked. "Even Vincent the Cold and Cid the Gruff do. She was good people."  
"Yeah...but..." Tifa frowned. "I don't think he's accepted that she's dead, or...hasn't gotten over it, or something. He's quiet a lot. And he won't tell me what's wrong."  
I looked away. "I was like that a lot...when my mom died. I mean, I was only like ten, but I didn't believe she was dead and used to try to talk to her. When she didn't talk back I just...stopped talking." I shrugged and grinned. "I grew out of it eventually."  
Tifa smiled, but the sadness still lurked behind her eyes.  
"Ladies." Cid said. "Mind if I join you? Reno's getting a little irritating." He was standing next to our table, three beers in his hands.  
I nodded and scooted over. Cid sat next to me and placed a beer in front of each of us.  
"Anything on the search for Shera, Cid?" Tifa asked, kindly. I got the idea that she knew more about this whole thing than I did.  
Cid shrugged. "Stopped lookin' about six months ago. If she doesn't wanna be found, she ain't gonna be found. I think she took off well before Meteor was gone. When I got back there was a layer of dust an inch thick on everything."  
I frowned. Cid wasn't like Tifa; he didn't let his emotions show like that, unless he was really pissed at you for losing his wrench or something. So I couldn't tell if he was upset at her taking off or not. But from his performance this afternoon, I got the idea that her disappearance disturbed him, if not upset him.  
It was ennerving. I could usually tell when a person was upset or something. It was part of my training as a ninja; "know your enemy" is a token phrase. It kind of put me at an advantage: I could tell if who I was fighting was composed and observant, or angry and prone to mistakes. And it put me at an advantage in social situations, too. But not in this case.  
I sipped at my beer to cover up my unease.  
Tifa was talking to Cid. "...So now we've got fourteen orphans. I'm thinking of getting the place next to the bar and converting it into...well, I guess it'd be an orphanage. Cloud told me he'd help me build some bunk beds and stuff. The bar could fund it, I know it could, it's been really popular lately."  
"Sounds like a good idea." Cid said, nodding. "Ya'll need help, lemme know. I've got some power tools lying around somewhere, I'm pretty sure I could whip up a bunk bed or two."  
Tifa smiled, which lit up her face and turned her from just pretty to beautiful. "Thanks, Cid!" She said. "You know, since...I can't have kids of my own, it's nice to make sure everyone else's kids turn out alright."  
Cid nodded. "Find anything out about that?"  
"Doctor said the mako radiation down in Mideel totally killed...everything down there." Tifa said, sadly. "But it's alright, I've got fourteen kids, even if they aren't really mine."  
"Fifteen if you count Reno." I said, looking towards him and rolling my eyes. Tifa laughed.  
"He kinda is one of the kids. He acts like a big brother to most of them. They really do like him. I think it's because he's at their mental level." She frowned. "He's only seventeen, he's not much older than some of them."  
I laughed.  
"Rude doesn't deal with the kids much." Tifa went on. "But a few of them got into a fight and he was there instantly, scaring off the other kids. I think he likes them and just won't show it." She smiled.  
"Never woulda thought it." Cid said amusedly, sipping his beer.  
"I would have thought you'd be over there with Reno, getting wasted." I blurted out. Cid gave me a look of disdain and I blushed.  
"Not much of a drinker." Cid said. He took a cigarette out and lit it.  
"Nicotine's more my drug." He said, grinning at Tifa. Tifa chuckled.  
I looked at the interaction between them. Did Cid like Tifa? She was certainly attractive; I had more than once been jealous of her amazing pneumatic chest, and the rest of her was nice on the eyes, too. Even though she wore attire that clothed her body more nowadays, what she chose still showed her assets off for the better.  
I thought it was kind of cute, actually, even if Tifa was a little on the youngish side for Cid. 

Cid, Reno, Rude, and I were the only ones left of our group. Reno was totally plastered and hitting on one of the waitresses. Rude was sitting next to him, and occasionally he would whisper something to Reno in his ear. It might have been advice, or it might have been "you're being an ass."  
Cid and I were sitting in the booth that Tifa had also recently shared with us. He was what he called "buzzed." I was a little more than that, but I was definitely better off than Reno.  
"Look at that retard." Cid said, rolling his eyes and finishing off his beer. "He's gonna get himself slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit."  
"And I'm gonna laugh about it." I said. A song came on that I absolutely love; a techno remix of a really cool song. "I'm gonna go dance." I said, pointing to the small dance floor. There was a crowd, mostly consisting of the just-over-21 crowd that loved to stay up late and drink now that they could.  
"You gonna be alright?" Cid asked me, eyeing the guys in the crowd.  
"I'll be fine." I said. I climbed out of the booth and ran over to the dance floor.  
Like I said, I wasn't drunk, but my inhibitions were pretty much shot. I was gyrating much more freely than I normally would have, although I did keep myself as far away from the guys in the crowd, sticking mostly to the females that tended to group together.  
I looked over and saw Reno, Rude, and Cid standing at the edge of the floor. Reno was staring at me in awe, as if he'd just realized I was female. Rude and Cid had their arms crossed and were glaring menacingly at something behind me.  
I turned and saw a group of guys staring at me. I rolled my eyes and walked off the dance floor and over to Cid, Rude, and Reno.  
"Assholes." I said. I laughed. "Lucky for me I have my own personal bodyguards, right?"  
Reno laughed outrageously as if that was the most clever thing ever said. Rude didn't do anything. Cid nodded slightly.  
I got one more drink and headed back out. Cid maintained his place off to the side of the dance floor, but Reno and Rude had either left or gone to part of the bar I couldn't see.  
A guy sidled up to me. "Wanna dance?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes.  
"C'mon, baby, just a dance, no strings." He said, grinning. I shrugged.  
"Sure." I said. He led me deeper into the small crowd and we started dancing.  
The dancing got a little more risque than either I or Cid liked, because I felt a tap on my shoulder. "I'm cutting in." Cid said, curtly. I felt a brief flare of resentment; Cid was acting like an overprotective older brother. But it went away when I realized how much I was disgusted by the way this guy was trying to feel me up."  
"Hey..." The guy trailed off when he saw Cid cross his arms and give him the most evil Look I've ever seen cross the pilot's face. He backed off.  
To my surprise, Cid didn't lead me off the floor, but instead danced with me. And even more to my surprise, he could dance. He didn't get all close like the asshole did, but it was fun! By the time we left the floor, we were both panting, Cid a little more than I, probably due to his expensive cigarette habit.  
"I didn't know you could dance, old man!" I exclaimed. I think the alcohol was, at this point, getting to my head.  
"Surprised you, did I, kid?" He said, laughing. He tousled my hair, like you would with a six-year-old. I glared at him and headed back towards the bar.  
"I think you've had enough, kiddo." He said.  
"One more, that's all." I said, smiling. "Then I'm going back to the inn." 

I woke up the next morning with a hangover from hell, and not in my room at the inn.  
"Ugh." I said, struggling to sit up. I was in Cid's living room, carefully tucked in under what was obviously a rarely-used spare blanket, on his sofa.  
"You really, really can't handle your liquor." Cid's voice said, softly. I wondered if he was speaking softly in consideration for my hangover, or because he had one too.  
I looked over towards the kitchen and saw him. He didn't look any different from his normal, unperturbed self, and he was drinking a mug of tea.  
"Where..." I said, confused. I think I might have still been a little drunk.  
"I didn't know which room you were in so I settled you in on the couch." He said. He smirked. "You were about as drunk as Reno by the time you finally agreed to leave, kid."  
I frowned and groaned, my hand going to my head.  
Cid busied himself in the kitchen for a few moments, then he set a cup of water and some aspirin in front of me. "I'll be workin' on the Tiny Bronco in the back." He said, then he left.  
I downed the aspirin and chased it with water, and swore then and there that I was never, ever drinking alcohol again. 


	3. Chapter 3

I pretty much stayed in Cid's living room all afternoon, trying to sleep it off. I succeeded by the time evening came around, right around when Cid came back inside, covered in grease and grinning.  
"Think I'm almost finished with 'er." He said, washing his hands. He turned back to me. "Feelin' any better, kid?"  
I nodded. "Loads." I said.  
"Hungry?" He asked. I noticed he was fiddling with a container on the counter.  
"Sure." I said. I was starving. "Whatcha makin'?"  
"Steak." He said. "Shera...uh, Shera taught me how to make a marinade back before AVALANCHE." He said. "It's good. They've been soakin' all day."  
"Sure thing." I said.  
He barbecued the steaks and they WERE good. I never thought Cid'd be a cook or anything, but when you've gotta feed yourself I guess you learn.  
I thanked him for being nice to me while drunk and letting me crash on his couch, and then headed back towards the inn. 

I apologized to the innkeeper profusely for not letting him know I was still in the room (he'd walked in to clean it up and found my stuff there), then paid him for the night and one week after. I figured I'd fight every day this week and then take off for Wutai.  
I washed off (I could still smell the alcohol on my person) and then washed my clothes, slipping my now-dry fighting clothes on. Maybe, just maybe, I'd take tomorrow off and go try to find some different clothes. My fighting outfit was getting a little worn, and my street clothes were cute, but plain.  
Maybe. I'd sleep on it.  
I wasn't even remotely tired, having slept most of the day, so I decided to go for a jog. I threw my shoes on and locked my door, and left.  
I walked through the town, which was still kind of busy even though night had long since fallen, towards the edge of the launch pad area. I could see Cid working on the Bronco, and grinned.  
I took off. It was exhilirating, running like this and not running for my life. I soon caught my second wind and started back towards Rocket Town, knowing that I was about two miles out and not wanting to crap out when I got tired.  
When I got back I was still breathing well, so I started to circumnavigate the town. I passed the inn, passed the weapons shop, and soon came back around to the launch pad area.  
"What the hell are you doing, kid?" I heard Cid's gruff voice come from under the Tiny Bronco.  
"Running!" I called out.  
"Crazy." He muttered. I laughed and slowed to a walk.  
"Just because you smoke 24/7 and can't breathe enough to run doesn't mean all of us gotta be." I said.  
"Yeah, yeah." Cid muttered. He did something and suddenly the Tiny Bronco roared to life.  
"Yeah!" He said, climbing out from underneath and pumping his right arm. He patted the side, leaving a small grease stain which he promptly rubbed out with his shirt. He reached into the cockpit and turned the plane off, looking at it fondly.  
"You got it running, huh?" I said.  
"Yup." He grinned. "The Highwind was pretty much garbage by the time AVALANCHE was done with it, so I decided to fix my baby up."  
I smiled; few things seemed to ignite Cid's passion, and the sky was one of them.  
"I'm gonna have a celebratory cup of tea." Cid announced. "Come on in, kid, you're from Wutai, you should like tea."  
"Ew." I said. "Only green tea, old man."  
"I'm not old." Cid said, rolling his eyes and wiping his hands on his pants. "And I've got green tea." 

The next day I did, indeed, take the day off and go shopping. In my fighting I'd accrued a small fortune, and I hadn't spent hardly any of it. I purchased an A-shirt style tank top in white and some dark, sturdy shorts in blue for fighting, and then the fun began.  
I didn't have much in the way of feminine frippary; fighters seldom need it. But my days of fighting were pretty much over. Once I reached Wutai I'd pretty much end up living my life as the Wutai princess. So I splurged. I bought several kinds of pants (the flared jeans seemed to flatter my figure, so I bought a lot of those in varying colors) and even more shirts. Shoes followed (not as many of those), and I then bought luggage to bring them to Wutai with me.  
When I got back to the inn I amused myself by trying on various outfits. My favorite was a pair of slate-grey flared pants and an off-white babydoll T-shirt with five materias on the front, one of each kind.  
I kept that one on, with a new pair of tennis shoes. I was hungry.  
Rocket Town didn't have much for restaurants; the tavern and the inn were about it. I decided to eat at the tavern.  
I was just finishing my sandwich when Cid walked in. He was, for once, without grease stains. He sat at the bar and ordered food; he was about three seats down from me.  
"Hey, kid." He said, grinning.  
I pondered this for a second, then smiled knowingly. "Took the Tiny Bronco out, huh?"  
"Sure did. It was great."  
He sipped his soda--he'd gotten a soda, rather than anything alcoholic--and he had a dopey grin on his face that most guys save for their significant others.  
I chuckled to myself. Cid's love for the sky had always amused me so much; I think probably because I prefer good old _terra firma_. I get airsick, although the Tiny Bronco probably wouldn't bother me, the small planes never did. I like horizons; I _don't_ like _being_ in the horizon.  
"Wanna go up with me?" Cid asked, jerking his thumb up. He stopped. "Oh, wait, you get sick."  
"I don't get sick on small planes." I said, automatically. I paused, looking at the face Cid was making. "No offense to the Tiny Bronco."  
He laughed at that. "Well, if you wanna go up, come back to my place after we're done here; I'm going back up."  
"Never could get enough of the sky, could you, Captain?" The bartender said, grinning.  
"Too right." Cid said, grinning as the bartender put his sandwich in front of him. 

It was fun to ride in the Tiny Bronco with Cid. The open-air cockpit seated two people, the yoke between them, and Cid even attempted to teach me how to fly, letting me take over on the passenger rudder pedals and the yoke. I did alright, but Cid quipped that anyone could fly a plane, it was the landing that was hard.  
He even flew me over Wutai City, about a forty-five minute flight from Rocket Town. I saw the new casino and was disgusted by it.  
The landing was soft and light to the touch; someone as rough as Cid amazed me by having a feather-touch with the plane's controls.  
"She's a beaut, ain't she?" Cid asked, after we wheeled her into the backyard. He touched her side like she was a long-lost lover.  
I nodded solomnly.  
"Going back to Wutai, kid?" Cid asked. I nodded.  
"In about a week." I said. "I'm gonna catch a boat and hike in."  
Cid rolled his eyes. "You'll be sick. I'll take you in."  
"In the Bronco?"  
"Yeah." He patted her side one more time before heading into the house. I followed.  
"Sure, thanks." I said, grinning. "She's not that bad once she's in the air."  
"Better'n the Highwind, eh?" Cid said, casting a sidelong glance at me. I flushed. He laughed. 

The next few days I didn't see much of anyone; I left early in the morning to fight, and came back late at night, spattered with monster guts. I washed my clothes and showered every night, and then went to bed. I ate once a day, usually at lunch, from provisions I would take into the field with me.  
After three days of this, I decided I needed a break and came back hours early from fighting. It was about three PM and I was already disgusting. But, I had accomplished something: about half of my materia had been mastered.  
That, and it was my birthday. So I figured part of a day off was a good idea, in celebration. I considered asking Cid to take me to the bar again, but I clearly recalled the aftereffects of my last night of drinking, and decided resolutely against it.  
Instead, I practiced my first act of legal majority and bought a pack of cigarettes; I bought a pack of Marlboro 100's, which happens to be Cid's brand. I decided on that because I don't smoke so I figured I'd give them to him.  
I was wearing a pair of black flared jeans and a red spaghetti strap tank top. I dunno if it made me look more mature or something, but I was disappointed when the guy didn't card me. Or maybe that was just a habit in this town.  
I headed over to Cid's house; a little nervously because I'd never just randomly shown up at his house without a previous invitation, or without him being there to invite me in. What if he was out flying? What if he had a woman over? What if he didn't want company?  
I knocked on his door. Waited a few seconds. A few noises, and then he answered the door, looking surprised. My eyes widened and I blushed.  
He had obviously just gotten out of the shower. I say that because his hair was wet and towel-ruffled, and because the only covering he had was a towel wrapped around his waist.  
"Oh my God." I said. "Sorry!" I started to turn around.  
"What?" Cid said. He looked down. "Oh. Hang on a sec."  
He disappeared, then reappeared with pants on. "Sorry, you caught me off guard. What's up?"  
I was embarassed. "Nothing." I said. I turned around and ran back to the inn. When I looked back, at the front of the inn, Cid was still standing in the doorway, looking confused. 

I sat in my room staring at the pack of cigarettes. I hadn't gotten a chance to give them to Cid. They called to me.  
Hell, I was eighteen now. I could smoke if I wanted to. A bit of rebellion, then, was still active in me.  
When I had purchased them, the clerk had given me a pack of matches. I opened them, stuck one in my mouth, and lit it.  
And started coughing explosively. Why, why, WHY did Cid smoke these things?  
I inhaled again and coughed slightly less, now that I kind of expected what was coming. By the time I finished the cigarette, I was kind of used to it.  
But I still couldn't understand why Cid smoked them constantly. 

The next day I went back to Cid's house. I caught him right as he was about to leave to fly the Bronco.  
"Yesterday I turned eighteen." I said.  
"Congrats." He said, slightly distracted with his preflight check.  
"And part of turning eighteen is buying a pack of cigarettes." I said. He looked at me strangely. I held out the pack, minus one cigarette. "I didn't like them, so you can have them."  
"...Thanks." He said, pocketing the pack. He chuckled.  
"What?"  
"I can just imagine you, sitting alone in your room at the inn, hacking your lungs out." He chuckled again and climbed into the cockpit. "Happy birthday, kiddo, even if it is a day late." He took off down his makeshift runway.  
I slung my Conformer to my back and started out for the day's fighting. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Ready, kiddo?"  
"Sure thing." I said, flipping him a thumbs-up sign.  
"Hope I'll be able to take off with all of your crap back there." He said, jerking his thumb towards the back of the plane, where my luggage was stored. I glared at him and he laughed.  
I was going home. Cid had, of course, offered to fly me to Wutai, which I reminded him of yesterday. I offered to pay for the fuel, which he waved off since he had plenty of money from our days with Cloud and Co.  
Takeoff and landing were smooth, as usual. I felt a sort of sadness when Cid helped me offload my stuff; he'd been nice to me in the week I'd spent in Rocket Town, which is more than I can say of the people I was about to rejoin in Wutai.  
I watched him take off, waving, and then slung my bags about my person and walked into the town. 

The casino was even more lurid from the ground. Lights flashed and blinked, neon signs declared things I couldn't even begin to understand (something about five something stud, I think it's a card game), and revolving doors catered to the needs of what seemed to be a never-ending stream of tourists. I frowned and headed towards my house on the south end of town.  
I settled my stuff in my house and gathered my materia to take to my father. A few favorites (Enemy skill, restore, and Contain...all mastered so I had extras to give Godo) I kept, but the rest of them I planned on giving him.  
I walked into the house. I'd never had to knock, even when Godo and I were at odds. Technically, the house was my mothers, and had been left to me at her death, but I didn't feel like fighting my father for it and just got my own house once I reached the age of majority (which is fifteen in Wutai).  
Godo was napping in his room. I rolled my eyes. "Pathetic." I said.  
"Yuffie?" He said, jumping to his feet, incredulous. "I haven't heard from you in over a year! We were afraid you were dead!"  
I stood at the door, my hand on my hip.  
"Did you get the materia?" He asked, eagerly. I sighed.  
"Yeah." I pulled the paper bag I'd put them into out and gave it to him. He eagerly opened it.  
"That's all?"  
"Most of those are mastered."  
"But still...not very much."  
I glared at him. "I mastered those myself. If you can't be happy with it, fuck off." I stormed from the house and back to my place, throwing myself on the bed and wishing that I was still in Rocket Town. 

The next few weeks I settled down into a pattern. Mostly out of boredom I'd go out and fight every day, ostensibly to keep myself in shape. I tried very hard to practice the centering of the chi that my masters had talked about; I learned that I was too easily angered in battle and I made too many mistakes. Within a month I was pretty good at it.  
While at the store one day my father walked in, and just to spite him I bought a pack of cigarettes; two even, there was a special two-for-one on a new brand, Marlboro No. 27's. I also bought a lighter, because my dad was looking at me. Godo stared at me, stunned, as I stalked out carrying my groceries and cigarettes.  
And at home, I lit one up, out of anger, mostly. It tasted a lot better than the nasty cigarettes that Cid smoked, and I found myself kind of enjoying the flavor, and the rebellion.  
So I started smoking them. Not as often as Cid does, of course, but a few a day. And when I ran out, I bought a lot more; ten cartons, which I figured was enough to last me at my current rate for like a year.  
But since I had more avaliable I smoked more often. Still not as many as Cid did, but about a half a pack a day. I worked out and couldn't see any affect on my lungs...not yet, anyway.  
One day I lit a cigarette on my way into town, after a hard day of killing monsters. I passed my father's house and glared at it, angrily. He'd never apologized to me for the materia, and I was still pretty pissed.  
I felt a sharp pain at the base of my skull. The cigarette dropped from my mouth, and everything went black. 


	5. Chapter 5

Cid was a little worried. Yuffie usually sent him a letter every few days or so; they could have been annoying, but it was kind of like receiving a letter from a sibling overseas in a war or something. He liked reading them, and the way she wrote was amusing. Her anecdotes made him laugh, her anger towards her father was unassumed and honest, which pissed him off a little, and her monster slaughtering as a means of exercize seemed so tottally...Yuffie...that he almost always got a chuckle out of it.  
He actually looked forward to them most days. Ever since Shera had left, leaving that abominable goodbye note in her absence, he'd spent his days wondering what could have been, what might have been, where she'd gone, if she was happy, if she was still alive...and it pretty much thoroughly depressed him. Yuffie's letters were a light-hearted contrast to his pretty dreary days.  
Well, he hadn't gotten a letter from her in about a week, which was kind of disturbing. He didn't think Yuffie would have just randomly decided to stop doing something she considered a ritual.  
Maybe he'd just fly over there today, stop in and make sure everything was alright. 

My head hurt. A lot. And I was relatively sure I hadn't gone drinking recently, so it had to be trauma-induced.  
"I'm glad you're not dead. You've been out for four days." Godo's voice penatrated my pain. I opened my eyes and found myself in dad's old bomb shelter underneath the bell. I groaned.  
"The anesthesia I had to use was pretty strong. I'm sorry, it was all I had." That explained the pain in my head; I'd never had good reactions to anesthetics. I learned that the hard way, when I got my tonsils taken out when I was seven.  
"Why am I here, Godo?" I asked, too much in pain to be angry.  
"Yuffie, I'm disappointed in you." Godo said. I looked at him in astonishment. All of this because of disappointment?  
His eyes were crazy. I hadn't seen dad this fucked up since Mom died. He'd fucking _lost_ it.  
"All that materia..." He paused. "And they didn't need it anymore. Sephiroth is dead, meteor is gone. We need it." He thumped his chest. "Wutai needs it. Your loyalty leaves much to be desired."  
"Let me get this straight." I said, glaring at him. I noticed that I was tied up, and got even more upset. "You're mad at me because I refused to steal from my _friends_, and so you've kidnapped me, illegally detained me, and used an illegal drug to knock me out, against my will?" I laughed. "You're crazy. Once I get out of here, you're dead, old man."  
"I don't think so." Godo was towering over me now, and for the first time in a long time, I was scared. 

After Godo had his little session with me (oh, don't worry, I'm still a virgin; I'm just really fucking bruised and I think my right leg is broken), I started seriously thinking about my predicament. Godo told me he'd be back in an hour. I didn't think I could get free by then. I'd never exactly been deft enough to untie myself.  
And for the first time in a long time, I started to cry.  
My thoughts drifted to the bar that night; Cid and Rude standing there like bouncers, ready to kick the ass of any guy who so much as glanced at me in a manner they found offensive. I wished they were there right now; no way Godo could overpower them.  
I realized that I had stopped referring to Godo as my father, and I smirked through the tears.  
The door was opening. God help me... 

Cid strode into Wutai City confidently; he always strode confidently, no matter where he was or what he was doing. Cid Highwind didn't really give a shit what anybody thought.  
He knew, from the whole materia theft thing, where Yuffie lived. He knocked on her door, a little hesitantly at first, then forcefully when he realized that she wasn't coming to the door.  
"What the..." He said, frowning. He twisted the doorknob, hoping it wasn't locked. It was, but it wasn't proof against his years in Shinra.  
Yuffie was nowhere to be found, and it was obvious that her house hadn't been lived in for a few days. A half-empty pack of cigarettes was on her table; now _that_ was something she hadn't mentioned in her letters. He laughed harshly and left the house.  
What could have happened to her? He pondered that for a while. Well, whoever had taken her, and he was reasonably sure that she hadn't gotten hurt out in the field and been stranded because Yuffie would have clawed her way into Wutai, could have gotten pretty far by now, but there was a pretty good chance that they'd just hidden her somewhere in town. Who hated her enough to kidnap her?  
For some reason, Cid came to the conclusion that her father had taken her. He walked through the town to Godo's house, but no one was home. He peeked down the hidden passageways Cloud had found a year and a half ago, and found nothing.  
He sat on the stoop for a good while and pondered it. Finally coming up with nothing, he stood up and was just heading down the path to the rest of the town when he heard a noise behind him and, out of habit, ducked into some of the trees to the side of the path.  
Lord Godo was walking out of the little thing in the center of the clearing. He looked around to make sure no one was watching (a little haphazardly, Cid rather thought) and then snuck out, and closed the little door behind him. He then disappeared into the house.  
Cid hit himself in the forehead. Of course! Where had they found Yuffie _last_ time she'd gone missing? He jumped over a bush and ran towards the gazebo thing, knocking the log against the the bell. The door opened and Cid ducked down into it. 

I'm happy to report that my clothing had stayed on the entire couple of days I'd been conscious in that stupid secret hiding place of Godo's; apparently he doesn't believe in rape. Thank God.  
Unfortunately my other leg seemed to be broken above my knee, and my left wrist was flopping rather unnaturally. Also, there was a rather nasty gash just under my left eye, and my lip was cut and bleeding.  
The door opened again, and I shuddered. Godo had _just_ left! Why was he coming back? To torture me again? Last time I'd actually broken down and pleaded with him to stop, and I swear I saw a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.  
"Yuffie?" A familiar smoke-roughened voice spoke into the room.  
"C-Cid?" I said, my voice strained.  
Cid turned around a largeish stack of crates and saw me. His face darkened instantly.  
"I'll be right back." He said, his voice devoid of emotion. 

Godo never saw it coming. 

I'd passed out, apparently, soon after Cid left, and when I woke up I was in a vaguely familiar room that appeared to have been carved out of a cave.  
_Cosmo Canyon?_  
"Oh, good, you're awake." Cid said. I looked to my left and there was Cid, looking like he hadn't slept for days.  
"Ah, good." Another familiar voice said. I looked farther down and saw Nanaki sitting there, a concerned look on his animal face. "I'll tell the others." He left.  
Cid apparently hadn't washed, slept, eaten, or done anything other than smoke since I'd _last_ seen him. He looked like crap.  
"You look like crap." I said.  
He laughed and ran his hands through his hair. "Probably." He said.  
"No, definitely." I said. I felt tons better than the last time I'd been awake.  
"I brought you here. Cosmo Canyon has some of the best healers on the planet." He said, grinning. His face seemed gaunt, and his smile was a ghost of the grin he used when he had just flown, or when he laughed over something funny.  
"Yeah?" I examined my wrist, flexed my feet. Everything seemed fine.  
"Yeah. They had you fixed up in about an hour. You've just been out for about two days." He looked haggard.  
"How...I mean..." I paused, trying to consider what I was trying to say. When I'd wished for someone to rescue me, Cid's face had always popped up; he was like the big brother I'd never had, the father-figure I'd never had. And then my wish had come true.  
"What made you come to look for me?" I asked.  
He grinned sheepishly. "You didn't write for a week. Pretty un-you."  
I smiled. "You were getting them? When I didn't get any responses I thought maybe I had the address wrong."  
"Ah, I'm not...not much of a letter-writer." Cid said, awkwardly. "But I read them."  
I smiled, and then everyone else walked in.  
Even Barret. And he even looked _concerned_. Cloud was there, and while he pretended disintrest, his eyes flickered to my wrist and feet, so I'm pretty sure he'd seen my wounds before they were healed.  
Since I was better, I was able to get up and go down to the Cosmo Candle (the bar, not the fire) with everyone and celebrate my full return to health. Everyone left after that, apparently assured since I had woken up. I, however, was pretty drunk, so Cid very nicely escorted me back to the room I'd started out in.  
"Now take a shower." I ordered him. The last thing I heard before I passed out was his laughter. 

For once, I slept long and deeply, and even though I'd been drunk the night before, I woke up feeling refreshed. I looked at the clock; no wonder, I'd slept nearly twelve hours.  
I went to step off the bed and nearly stepped on Cid; he looked like he'd taken my advice and showered, but he'd fallen asleep on the floor near my bed. I carefully stepped over him and went to the bathroom to pee.  
"Awake already?" I heard a muffled voice say from outside.  
"Already?" I called back. "It's nearly three PM!"  
"No it--oh. It is. Wow." Cid sounded hungover, although it was probably just how he sounded when he first woke up; Cid hadn't drunk nearly as much as I had.  
I walked out of the room and noticed one thing: Cid didn't have a shirt on. This wasn't that unusual; guys go around without shirts on all the time. But I'd only seen Cid without a shirt on once, and that had been an embarassing moment.  
This time, however, I noticed not that it was Cid, but that he had a well-sculpted chest, not overly muscly but strong enough to push the Tiny Bronco out of the backyard without hurting himself. On his shoulder he had a tattoo of a silhouette of a plane, possibly the Bronco. He wasn't, I noticed pleasantly, an overly hairy guy, at least, not in the chest area. I wondered vaguely if he was hairy in other places, and then blushed.  
Why, why, WHY would I think these things about Cid?  
Cid was currently sitting up, looking around in a rather disgruntled manner. He had obviously fallen asleep with his hair wet, because it stood up almost like Clouds, but much more disheveled.  
When he stood up, I noticed vaguely that he seemed to tower over me. I've always hated my shortness, but now it seemed impishly cute, which annoyed me even further.  
I looked at Cid once more as he headed towards the bathroom, and then left, partially embarassed, and partially enthralled. 

I spent the remainder of the day hanging out with Nanaki, who alone out of the group hadn't originally cursed me when I stole the materia. He took me on a tour of Cosmo Canyon, and told me about his parents. I mostly listened, fascinated with the history behind this place. That night a bunch of us, Cid included, ate dinner around the Cosmo Candle (the fire, this time). Afterward, Cid came up to me.  
"I'm flying back to Rocket Town tonight." He said, pointing down to the Tiny Bronco, parked on the ground below Cosmo Canyon. "You can crash on my couch tonight and I'll take you home tomorrow."  
I nodded. Then Cid smirked and handed me something: a pack of Marlboro No. 27's. I blushed.  
"Saw 'em on your table." He said, walking back up towards my room. 

The ride back was weird. I had never been on the Tiny Bronco at night before; the moon created odd shadows. I found myself very thankful that Cid was a good pilot. I also found myself rather distracted by his presense and instead tried to think about other things.  
The landing was a little rougher than normal; maybe Cid _was_ a little hungover.  
"Look, Yuffie..." Cid said, as we sat in the plane, near his house. My heart quickened; had he noticed my surrupticious glances? God, I hoped not.  
"I think I have to explain something." He said. He stepped out of the plane and started pushing it into the backyard. I jumped out and helped.  
"Yeah?" I said, casually, wondering what was going on.  
"When I saw what Godo did..." and I shuddered involuntarily. Godo's name hadn't been mentioned since I regained consciousness. "I got...kinda mad."  
"Uh-huh." I said, not really paying attention.  
"Look, when I left I wasn't sure if he was still alive. I'm still not. I'm...sorry. I got...carried away." He wasn't looking at me; we'd finished pushing the Bronco through the gate and had closed it, and now we were sitting in his backyard, hands in pockets, just not looking at each other.  
"Wait, what?" I said, stupidly.  
"I..." He sighed and looked up. "I'm really sorry, kid, I might have killed your dad." 

You might think it would sadden me; that the guy I had suddenly developed a strange crush on (I mean, come on, he's sixteen years older than me) had, quite possibly, killed my dad. But remember what Godo had done to me, remember how he'd treated me. Remember that he expected me to steal from people I cared about, for a second time, just to serve his purposes. No, I wasn't sad. In fact, I was elated. Godo had, in my opinion, gotten what was coming to him.  
I stared at Cid for a minute. He was looking up at the moon, looking thoroughly distraught. And I recalled that he'd just called me "kid." I sighed, disappointed, and walked into the house.  
I spent the night sleeping on Cid's couch, uncomfortable and completely aware of the fact that Cid was in the next room over, quite possibly in his boxers or nothing at all. The idea made me feel warm all over.  
Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. In fact, at about two AM I got up and went to the bar.  
The bartender, once again, didn't card me. I got slightly smashed, and then stumbled back to Cid's house. He was up, sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette. In his boxers.  
_I knew it._ I thought to myself. He scooted over and made room for me. I noted a half-empty beer can in his other hand, and a few empties on the coffee table.  
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, putting the cigarette out in an ashtray. I lit one and nodded.  
"Heard you leave." He added. He finished the last of his beer. "Waited up to make sure you came home." He gave me a Look and started towards his room.  
I smirked and lay on the couch. Just staring at his back gave me naughty thoughts, thoughts which were inappropriate at any time, but especially now, and towards him.  
He turned around and instead went to the bathroom, having to pass me. I smirked at him, slightly plowed, and pulled the blanket over me.  
I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep. Cid exited the bathroom and passed by me again. He stopped. I got the feeling he was watching me. He was there for a while.  
Finally I opened my eyes. Cid was standing there, watching me, a strange look on his face. He turned and walked back to his room.  
I wondered to myself if it was just the booze, or if Cid really had looked at me like he looks at the Tiny Bronco. 


	6. Chapter 6

_Lemon_

The next morning I awoke to a very hard surface.  
I'd fallen off the couch and my face was smushed against the hard flooring. I groaned and stumbled to the bathroom.  
I looked like _crap_. Oh, man. _I hope I didn't look like that when I came in last night._ I ran my hands through my hair, which I hadn't cut since before Meteor and was now nearly down to my waist, and tried futiley to make it lay flat. No such luck. I sighed and left the bathroom.  
Cid was awake, apparently, because groaning noises and some coughing was coming from his room. He couldn't have a hangover; I was probably right about him not being a morning person. Normally I'm not either. For some reason, the similarity thrilled me.  
He stumbled out of his room and automatically went for the stove. Tea. Of course.  
About an hour later, both of us felt loads better. Cid loaded me into the Tiny Bronco and took off for Wutai.  
We landed just outside of Wutai City. He looked about ready to take off when I, almost shyly, asked him to come over. I must have come off sounding really stupid, but he shrugged, shut the plane off, and hopped out.  
I wasn't expecting the armed guards at the edge of the city. When they took hold of Cid and put handcuffs around his wrists, I got pretty vocal.  
"What in _hell_ is going on here?" I demanded.  
"This man is charged with assault of Lord Godo," (Damn, that meant he wasn't dead) "And kidnapping of yourself, Miss Yuffie."  
"Does it _look_ like he kidnapped me, you retard?" I asked, pummelling at the police offiers with my fists. "Look, I'm back, and he came _with_ me!"  
"Sorry, Miss Yuffie. Lord Godo's orders."  
My eyes narrowed. Cid looked pretty dejected. I stood in front of him with my arms crossed.  
"I'll take care of this." I promised him. He shrugged. I sighed.  
And stormed off to my house. To get my Conformer. And then I'd go to Godo's house, and I'd kill him myself. 

"So you arrest the guy who saves me from you, and arrest him for doing to you what you were doing to me? God, you're lucky he didn't kill you, you should just count your blessings, you asshole." I faced off with my father, who looked pretty pissed to have been awakened by his erstwhile daughter by a conformer to the side of his head.  
"Yuffie..." He began. I hit him with the dull side of my conformer again, this time knocking the other side of his head. He groaned and stood up.  
"You bastard." This time I went for a fatal blow, but he ducked away just in time.  
"Yuffie, you ungrateful brat..." Godo shouted. My anger was getting worse and harder to control, and finally I just reached for the one thing I knew could release that anger: beta.  
When the flames finally died down, and the embers cooled, they couldn't find a trace of Godo left. 

Being the princess of Wutai, they had to listen to me. Cid was released, and he'd been roughed up a bit by the guards. That pissed me off, and I was tempted to retaliate, but they'd been following my dad's orders, and really had believed that Cid had kidnapped me. I got him settled down on my couch and used restore on him a few times; the bruieses and lacerations cleared up instantly.  
"It would have been great if you _had_ managed to kill him." I muttered as I put the materia away.  
Cid shrugged. He seemed pretty thoroughly depressed.  
"But on the bright side, you're officially a 'bad boy' now." I said, trying to keep some noise going on. "You have an arrest record now."  
Cid cracked a small smile at that, but something was bothering him.  
I busied myself in the kitchen, making tea and keeping myself away from the disconcertingly quiet Cid Highwind.  
Not like I didn't watch him, oh no. Whenever I had a chance I'd sneak a peek at him from the kitchen.  
Finally the tea was ready (I only had green tea but it'd have to do) and I gave him a cup. He accepted it with a hint of gratefulness and sipped at it.  
I sat down next to him. I didn't know what to say. Remember, I can't really guage Cid's emotions. All I could tell was that something disturbed him, and he wasn't willing to volunteer the information.  
"...Are you okay?" I blurted out. Oh, God. I have got to be the most awkward person on the planet, I swear.  
"m'fine." Cid said. He sipped his tea.  
Okay, now I knew where I was. "I call bullshit." I said. He snorted. His mouth was full of tea, so the results were rather spectacular. I cleaned up, laughing.  
"Seriously." I said, sitting back down. "Something's up. What's wrong?"  
Cid shrugged. He sat back on my sofa and closed his eyes, plainly not interested in talking. I rolled my eyes and stood up.  
"Men." I muttered, walking up to my room. 

I was sitting on my floor, trying futiley to center my chi. It wasn't working because my body was too aware of Mr. Cid Highwind a floor below me.  
A soft knock. Cid. Probably coming up to tell me he was going home. I murmured a "come in," my eyes still closed.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Trying to center my chi."  
A snort. "I didn't know you went for that bullshit."  
I shrugged, eyes still closed. "It helps in battle."  
A soft rustling of clothes, and I opened my eyes. Cid was sitting in front of me.  
"I'm being an asshole. Sorry." Cid said, shortly. He frowned and looked at some poster on my wall.  
I shrugged. "Whatever."  
He looked back at me and I leaned back, startled; it was that look again, the one he gave the Tiny Bronco. And I recognized it for what it was: amazement, joy...love.  
He stood up and went to leave. "I'm gonna take off." He said. His voice sounded strained again; distant. I stood up and made as if to protest, but no sound could come out. And then he was gone.  
I fell to the floor, wondering if I'd spend my life wondering what could have been. 

_One week later_

This was the day.  
I was being officially brought into the office of Lady of Wutai. There was a ceremony and everything. I'd contacted everyone in AVALANCHE and asked them to come. I was totally proud of myself.  
I'd tried to get ahold of Cid, but every time I tried to call no one answered. I'd get a short message from the machine informing me that Cid wasn't in. I'd leave yet another message for him, informing him of the date and time.  
I was crushed. Infatuation aside, Cid was a good friend and I wanted him to be there, just like I'd want a big brother to watch me graduate. This was a pretty big moment of my life.  
I sighed and twitched the last part of my ceremonial robe around me. I'm not fond of traditional Wutaian garb, but it's what you wear when you're being crowned.  
I walked out of the pagoda. I looked and saw all of my AVALANCHE friends, even Barret, standing there. Everyone but Cid. I frowned, then brushed that aside and smiled and waved. They waved back; Tifa seemed especially ecstatic.  
The ceremony itself was kind of boring. They put the crown on my head and I turned to the crowd, symbolizing my acceptance of taking care of the people before me, when I saw him.  
He was leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette. Very nonchalant, and not looking directly at me. But he was there, and that was more than I'd thought I'd have.  
Beyond him I could see construction of my new house, on the ashes of the former house. It was going to be built to my specifications; I had some ideas for it that I wanted put into effect.  
Because my house was still in construction, the crowd before me flowed into the pagoda, where the celebratory feast and party would be held. I, however, didn't have to be in attendance; the feast was for the people. If I did attend, I was not expected to join in the festivities.  
I walked over to Cid, the only person left in the courtyard.  
"You came." I said. I felt kind of silly, standing in front of him in my geisha-like getup. My hair was piled up on my head, completing the look.  
He nodded, still not looking at me.  
"Are you okay? Where have you been? Why didn't you return my calls?" I demanded.  
"I just got in last night." He said. "I found Shera."  
I held my frown back, despite the cold feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Where was she?"  
"Graveyard in Gongaga." He said, his tone devoid of emotion. "I guess she died of cancer about six months ago."  
I nodded slowly. "I'm sorry."  
Cid shrugged. "You wouldn't be if you read the letter she left me." He said. He threw his cigarette down and crushed it on the stones that lined the courtard.  
I just looked at him for a few minutes. He didn't volunteer any information, and eventually lit up a new cigarette. A slightly nervous twitch had developed in his foot.  
"You're missing your party." He said, eventually. I shrugged.  
"I'm not really supposed to attend." I said. I started down towards my old house, where I was staying until my new place was built. I heard Cid fall into step with me. "I'm supposed to retire and start planning what's best for the people, or something." I shrugged negligently.  
We reached my house and I opened the door, stepping aside to indicate he should enter. He did, sitting on my couch. I sat next to him, not even bothering to change my clothes or wipe the stupid makeup off, or take my hair down.  
Eventually the silence grew to be too much, so I lit a cigarette. Cid let out a short laugh.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Sorry, I get a chuckle out of it every time I see you light up." He shook his head. "I'm a bad influence on you people."  
"Right." I said. "I'll be sure to remember that."  
Eventually I finished the cigarette and put it out, then unabashedly looked at Cid. His profile looked almost haggard. He looked ...almost sad.  
"Cid.." I began. His head jerked up at the sound of my voice, and the intensity of his gaze really startled me. It was that look again, unrestrained.  
He must have seen something in my eyes; I know that at that look my heart lept and my throat went dry. Instead of leaving, like I thought he would, he blinked, then slowly leaned towards me.  
And kissed me.  
I've had my share of kisses in my life, but none quite matched this. Most of them were inexperienced, people my age. This was a man who had quite a bit of experience; at least, more experience than I. He kissed me quite thoroughly, and I kissed him back. I almost regretted having to come up for breath.  
I would have liked to gaze into his blue eyes for hours, but instead he stood up and started pacing.  
"What, exactly, is wrong?" I asked, almost acidly. If I couldn't look into his eyes for hours on end, the next best thing was stripping down to nothing and...well, you get the idea. And neither seemed about to happen, and it was really annoying now that we'd gotten past the whole mental foreplay of this.  
"I'm old enough to be your dad, kid." Cid said, pacing still. "Look, Yuffie." He said, sitting down at the look on my face at the use of the word "kid." "It's true. And...well, there's no guarentee this isn't some sort of weird mid-life crisis. This crap could all go down the tubes in days, weeks. I don't know. I haven't..." He looked away. "I dunno. I don't think this is a good idea. I'm going to leave." He stood up. "Sorry."  
I stood up and blocked his access to the doorway. "I _don't_ think so." I said, determinedly. I crossed my arms. "I'm tired of fucking pussyfooting around with you. I don't _care_ if you're old enough to be my dad. I don't _care_ if this is a mid-life crisis." I stepped closer to him. "I..." I trailed off. What _did_ I?"  
Cid looked very, very disturbed.  
I made a noise suspiciously like a growl in the back of my throat, and lunged at him with my lips. I had to stand on tiptoe to kiss him, but I managed it. My arms encircled his waist. He stood there for a second, and I felt my heart stop...then his arms threaded their way around me.  
When we separated, Cid looked at me for a minute, then picked me up, geisha gear and all, and headed up towards the bedroom. I made a pleased sound, and he snorted.  
He threw me on my bed, which I rather enjoyed (I'm only eighteen, lemme have my childish pleasures, okay?) then he crawled in with me. I felt a tiny spike of nervousness, then I relaxed.  
He kissed me...softly, totally unlike the hungry kisses from earlier, and reached over and unbound my hair. It cascaded down my shoulders.  
I slipped my hands under his shirt, and felt horribly inexperienced. Cid seemed to realize, at that point, that I was a virgin, and stopped.  
"K...Yuffie...?" He asked, looking at me as if to ask "Are you sure?" I smirked and tugged his shirt off.  
He took that as an answer and kissed me again, all the while tugging at different parts of my robe, loosening this knot and untying that one. After a while I lay naked on top of it, feeling a little exposed. Cid kissed me one last time and then knelt between my legs.  
That, I hadn't expected. EVerything I'd ever heard about sex had mostly involved the guy penetrating and pretty not much doing anything for his partner beyond some thrusting. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd heard about oral sex, I just never expected to meet a guy who wanted to do it.  
Pretty soon, though, I forgot all about that and leaned back into my pillow, gasping. I'd already been really turned on; the fact that Cid was managing to do even more than that was...amazing.  
I lay there, trying hard not to wriggle and cause an interruption in these...these..._glorious_ feelings, when a small fluttering in my belly alerted me to a change. My entire neither regions went white-hot, and I shuddered.  
A wave, a flood of ...something... rushed over me, and left me gasping for breath. I cried out unconsciously, unable to hear anything, including my own breathing. I closed my eyes and let whatever it was rush over me.  
When I opened them, Cid's face was over mine, kissing my neck, unbuttoning his pants. I craved what was in those pants, wanted it more than I'd ever wanted anything before, and I spread my legs out.  
"You _sure_?" He asked me, one last time. I cried out, exasperated that he was delaying the moment even one bit, and surrounded him with my legs, trying to bring him closer to me. He was strong, and held out until I nodded _yes_. I doubt highly that I could have spoken coherently at that point.  
I wanted him to slam into me; instead he took it slow. I felt the tip brush against me, and then he guided himself inside. He encountered a blockage.  
He looked at my face one more time, then, closed his eyes and...pushed.  
White-hot pain flashed through me, and then he hit something...inside...that made me cry out.  
He thought he'd really, severely hurt me, and stopped. I looked at him, confused, and saw th concern in his face. I pushed up, trying to get him to move, and he did, slowly. I wanted it faster...Faster! I clawed at his back, but he still went slowly. Did he want me to beg?  
"Faster." I gasped out, into his ear. He chuckled but obliged. Oh, gods! Through the rushing in my ears, I could hear his rapid breathing, his contained moans, the slapping sound of our bodies coming together...and it just turned me on more.  
I started coming up to meet him, closing in on him every time, trying my best to make it good for him as well as me. I kept forgetting occasionally, losing myself to the sensations, but he didn't seem to mind at all.  
"Oh, God." He mumbled at one point. "Oh, God, baby." I smiled; I never thought I'd hear those words coming out of his mouth. It was incredibly sexy.  
Presently, I felt that fluttering in my belly again. I gasped and felt myself tightening involuntarily. A long, drawn-out groan from Cid let me know that he had felt that. I leaned back, ceasing movement entirely as that wave encircled me again. Somewhere in the distance I could hear Cid crying out my name, feel him holding me and shuddering, but it was in the distance, because all that I was paying attention to was this..._blissful_ thing.  
We lay there like that for a good five minutes, just getting used to the idea of being near each other like that. Then he slid off and out of me and to the side of my bed, leaning back.  
I was still panting. My eyes closed, and I felt a kiss on my forehead before I fell asleep.  
When I woke up, I was covered by a blanket, tucked in for all intents and purposes. I frowned, knowing something extraordinary had happened but not remembering it. Then I felt the warmth beside me on my bed and remembered, grinning.  
Oh, we'd _have_ to do that often.  
I got up and used the bathroom before climbing back into bed and cuddling up to his side. I had all day--today was a day of reclusiveness from the public, until tomorrow, when I formally took office.  
Tomorrow...when I would be pretty busy and unable to spend any time with my new lover.  
Cid stirred and then opened his eyes, looking over at me. I smiled and put my arm over him. He smiled, too, knowing I had no regrets. 

Wutaians from Wutai don't generally date outside of Wutai. It's not considered proper. So the announcement that Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai, the new Lady of Wutai, was engaged to Cid Highwind, sixteen years older than her, white with blond hair and blue eyes, wasn't taken very well. But people got over it when it was announced that I was pregnant, and the kid would be born to married parents. They like that kind of stuff.  
Barret was pretty pissed about this; his buddy marrying some eighteen-year-old little bonehead...I believe those were his words. But he agreed to come to the wedding.  
At the moment Cid's planning everything; I've got too much shit to do for Wutai to plan a wedding. Besides, he says he's enjoying the bartering over services.  
And so, in two months, I won't have the last name Kisaragi anymore. You know, if someone had told me when I joined AVALANCHE that my name would some day become Yuffie Highwind, I'd have punched them. But now...now it doesn't seem so bad.  
And I have no regrets. 


End file.
